Learning and the imperative of production in Free/Open Source development

Abstract. This paper examines the role of learning in structuring access and participation in F/OS communities. In particular it highlights the challenges and barriers to access faced by new developers and the expectations of senior developers regarding the mindsets and capabilities of new contributors. It is argued that learning in F/OS is inextricably connected with the demand for continuous production. The evidence presented is drawn from interviews conducted with inexperienced and experienced contributors from the GNOME and KDE projects. The author challenges the view of learning as an enculturation process and the paper contributes to the understanding of power relations among established and peripheral members in communities of practice. Learning forms an integral part of the experience of participation in F/OS projects and underlies many aspects of collaboration. Given their limited resources, F/OS communities make significant efforts to lower the barriers to entry for new developers. Nevertheless, new developers face a number of difficulties which are associated with different aspects of development and participation. The paper draws on doctoral research [1] to highlight the challenges inherent in the learning process in F/OS communities from the perspective of new and senior developers. Theoretically, the paper contributes to a better understanding of power relations in communities of practice. Background to the study This section situates the argument within the context of existing contributions related to learning in F/OS communities and outlines the theoretical and methodological framework for the study Learning features as one of the main motives for participation in F/OS, and learning practices and processes, such as peer-review, are also often regarded as constitutive elements of the F/OS development model. Studies related to learning in F/OS fall into two broad groups. The first consists of studies that examine the role of tools and the technical characteristics of projects in the learning process. The second group includes studies that focus primarily on issues of socialization and joining. Examples from the first group include Shaikh and Cornford's [2] examination of Version Control or Concurrent Version Tools (VCT or CVS) and Baldwin and Clark's [3] examination of the role of code architecture in organizing and invitin